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The landscape of women’s college basketball — and NIL itself — is transforming at record speed. What began as a way for athletes to earn sponsorship money is now reshaping the entire path from college to the pros. Players entering the 2025 season are no longer just signing endorsement deals; they’re signing equity agreements, brand partnerships, and even contracts with professional leagues that didn’t exist when they first set foot on campus. The rules of the game have changed enormously — and so have players’ expectations.

The rise of leagues like Unrivaled, founded by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, marks a new phase of empowerment. The league recently signed NIL deals with 14 of the nation’s top college players — the contracts don’t allow the NCAA players to play in the league — that’s still not allowed — but they are centered on collaboration, content, and ownership. College players can promote a pro league to fans, but not play. It’s a bold model that merges college influence with professional opportunity, allowing athletes to build long-term value before ever turning pro.

With the WNBA negotiating a lucrative new collective bargaining agreement and domestic leagues now offering six-figure salaries, the old “one path” mindset is gone. NIL has evolved from a side hustle into a foundation for future careers — one where athletes can shape their own brands, control their narratives, and decide what success looks like.

This generation of college athletes isn’t just benefiting from NIL; they’re redefining it.

MSN

Patrick Mahomes returned to his alma mater (Texas Tech) to unveil the second class of Team Mahomes, a groundbreaking NIL initiative in partnership with Adidas.

The Kansas City Chiefs star announced the five-athlete lineup during ESPN’s College GameDay, highlighting Texas Tech’s deepening 10-year alliance with the brand. The roster includes returning stars NiJaree Canady and Sam Courtwright, alongside newcomers Behren Morton, Christian Anderson, and Malachi Snow — each representing the growing influence of NIL as a platform for empowerment and brand-building within college sports.

Mahomes’ partnership with Adidas is more than a hometown tribute — it’s a signal of how NIL is evolving from endorsement deals into legacy-driven collaborations. As student-athletes balance athletic performance with brand partnerships worth six and seven figures, Team Mahomes stands as a model for how schools, sponsors, and star alumni can unite to shape the next generation of college athletics. “We’re redefining not just the future of Red Raider sports, but college athletics more widely,” said Mahomes.

Hope you’re enjoying the Game Changers newsletter.

Brought to you by Eric Wein from Athletes Endorse, a Los Angeles-based agency that creates sales-driven athlete marketing campaigns in under 30 days.

Thank you for reading.

Until next week,

Eric Wein